Dirty little Den is no managerial gem

On the field Dennis Wise shone for Millwall, but as a coach he has still to sparkle

YOU SORT of hope the Leeds fans come up with a new song for the man: “He’s only five foot four, he’ll break your f****** jaw” had a certain accuracy about it, but had begun to grate long before the end. There was a certain blunt accuracy to the riposte from opposing fans, too: “He’s only five foot four — and he’s a f****** bore.” Or, at least, I thought so.

Superficially at least, Dennis Wise seemed to have been made for Millwall, a club which, like Leeds United, has made a virtue out of general unpopularity and a, let us say, uncompromising demeanour. In too many ways, Wise personified the Millwall image: diminutive of stature, wholehearted, a bit tasty and prone to fits of psychotic violence on and off the field. By and large, we like that of our players and I suspect that they will like it at Elland